Best Food In China

Location

In a competitive restaurant market like Shanghai even staying open for 4 years is no mean feat. Staying buzzworthy in a city where most dining establishments pop up and wither within months is either a miracle or the mark of something great. A Future Perfect might be piggybacking the karma in its name a bit but it's mostly thrived because of that special combination of consistently great food, a central location (though a bit hard to find on your first visit), and alert, professional service.

As the days grow longer and we all search for some respite from our stuffy apartments, A Future Perfect seems an even more ideal choice with its courtyard-style outdoor seating area that offers a bit of fresh air and rare peace in this bustling city.

Perhaps even more rare, Angelo, Future's GM provides the sort of attentive customer service all too lacking in Shanghai. He coordinates a faithful staff, so faithful in fact that many have been with Future since it first opened.

With an expanded wine list- offering more wines by the glass- the restaurant offers a perfect option for an afternoon drink and snacks. Don't forget to go back, though, for a taste of the exciting new spring menu, which includes delightfully fresh offerings such as Tuna Cerviche (Raw fish salad for the uninitiated) and a Rare Beef Salad. For those looking for slightly heartier options, consider the Gnocchi in a Blue Cheese sauce and a Beef Roulade stuffed with Foie Gras and Blue Cheese.

Being already quite familiar with the standard fare of the Future menu I made a beeline for the new spring creations. Between myself and my dining partner in crime we were able to manage all of the above dishes along with a basket of the fresh in-house baked bread.

The Tuna Ceviche was well-seasoned and the texture of the fish springy. As a whole, the dish meshed well and left the palate feeling refreshed, perfect match for a glass of crisp-dry white. The Beef Salad was accompanied by bright green stalks of asparagus that were cooked so as to pop when you bit into them rather than turn to mush- plus plus.

As for the main dishes, I would have originally thought blue cheese to be more of a winter or autumn ingredient, but, true to form, the chefs at Future produced a pair of dishes that transcended pigeonholing in one season or another.

The roulade was super tasty- imagine a tender piece of steak wrap around a decadent filling of goose liver and blue cheese perfectly covered with a gravy on a lentil mash, which was a lighter and more welcome accompaniment than the usually spud.

The Gnocchi was a well balanced mix of creaminess and tangy blue cheese- flavours that would have been perfect with a classic chardonnay, but unfortunately I was still tackling the wine I started with (glasses are quite generous).

I wasn’t able to manage desert myself but my partner thoroughly enjoyed his warm chocolate pudding served with a fresh vanilla ice cream.

A Future Perfect is a great place for a date or dinner with friends, nice destination for brunch (especially if you can get one of the prized courtyard spots), and a good value at lunch with some high quality sets.

Four years and still going strong, the future is bright at a Future Perfect.

- by Sam White

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